The project, located in Howland, was awarded in March to a combined bid from MS consultants and CT consultants.

The two top ranking companies for the project, Burgess and Niple of Painseville and AECOM of Akron, each were put in an unfair position, according to Fuda.

Fuda said he was upset after reading an Oct. 9 Tribune Chronicle article in which Smith said he was the area expert on sanitary engineering issues.

“I disagree with that statement,” Fuda said. “The real experts are the team of individuals who were involved in the original evaluations of the design engineering firms who expressed an interest in the Mosquito Creek project.”